“The sea is not a barrier — it’s an opportunity.”
Most PADI Professionals begin their journey with a love for the ocean. For Mario Gemo Guilamba, it began with fear. Growing up in the district of Jangamo, Mozambique, in a small community where more than 90% of people cannot swim and access to education is limited, the ocean was both ever-present and out of reach.
“Growing up in a place like this, where the ocean is part of our daily lives but, at the same time, an insurmountable barrier for many, has always been a paradox for me,” Mario says. “Today, I am the first PADI Divemaster in my community, something that fills me with pride and gratitude for the journey of overcoming challenges and the transformation I have experienced.”
From Fear to the First Stroke
Mario’s story began with no knowledge of swimming. “I never imagined that, years later, I would be exploring the ocean depths and guiding others on this path,” he says.
At the beginning, the idea of becoming a Divemaster seemed almost unattainable. “I could barely swim, and honestly, I was afraid of the ocean,” he recalls. But despite this, Mario felt a calling. “My passion for the water and my desire to break the barriers that keep my community from interacting with the sea motivated me to face my fears and limitations. Every swimming lesson, every dive and every small progress pushed me forward. With every challenge overcome, I got closer to achieving my dream.”
Learning To Swim & To Teach
Through Love The Oceans’ swimming program, Mario finally learned how to swim — a monumental victory in itself. “It is the only swimming initiative in our community and completely free to attend,” he explains.
But simply learning wasn’t enough. “I realized I needed to do more. It wasn’t enough to just acquire this knowledge; I had to share it with others.”
That realization led Mario to join Love The Oceans’ Ocean Conservation Champion (OCC) program, an internship for local children and young adults, where he became a swimming teacher. “With every person I helped to overcome their fear of the water, with every student who managed to float for the first time, I felt I was fulfilling a much greater mission,” he says.
In that role, Mario began to see the ocean differently, “I began to see the positive impact I could have on others’ lives, changing the way they saw the ocean — not as something frightening, but as a place of opportunity and beauty.”
Diving Deeper
Soon after, as part of the OCC program, Mario earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification. He tells us, “After qualifying as a diver, I realized that my learning journey was just beginning. The ocean, with all its vastness, was calling me to something more.”
That “something more” turned out to be photography and storytelling. “Through mentoring with Love The Oceans and their visiting storytellers, I have learnt how to capture the beauty of the ocean and tell stories in a visual and engaging way,” Mario says. “This has become more than a skill; it is my mission. Showing people the wonders that exist beneath the surface and how we need to protect it, while also sharing the stories of those who, like me, overcame their limitations.”
Becoming a PADI Professional
Since then, through Love The Oceans’ and PADI’s partnership, Mario has completed his PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, EFR, Rescue Diver and Divemaster certifications. He assists on coral conservation projects and other marine research, and he has completed six months of the Ocean School syllabus, learning more about the ocean, the threats it faces and why its protection is more important than ever.
“Today, with all these accomplishments, I feel more confident and professional in what I do,” Mario says. “Being the first Mozambican Divemaster in my community, and the first to capture and tell visual stories from the depths of the sea, fills me with pride. But more importantly, I want to be a living example that, with determination, passion and perseverance, anyone can overcome their greatest challenges.”
He is quick to point out that his journey hasn’t been easy. “It was full of difficult moments, doubts and obstacles — but every step is worth it, and I am still learning.”
Giving Back to the Community
“Now, I want to share everything I’ve learned with my community, inspire young people and adults to never give up on their dreams, protect the ocean and show that even what seems impossible can be achieved,” Mario remarks.
Whether he’s teaching someone to swim for the first time, collecting scientific marine data to aid Love The Oceans’ protection efforts or capturing the beauty of the underwater world in a photograph, Mario’s mission is clear: “To give back to my community everything the ocean has given me. I want every person here to see that the sea is not a barrier but an opportunity, and that dreams, no matter how distant they may seem, can become a reality with effort and passion.”
Inspired To Start Your Own Scuba Diving Career?
Whether you dream of learning to dive, becoming a PADI Professional or using your skills to inspire and protect like the folks at Love The Oceans, adventure is waiting. Now is the perfect time to take the next step in your scuba diving journey.
